I am very interested in how the various different Mahayana traditions give the bodhisattva vows.

In Tibetan Buddhism the ceremony for them can be quite short, depending on the text that is used. For example, at the teachings of HH Dalai Lama, HH often gives the vows to the audience by having them repeat the relevant sections of the Bodhisattvacaryavatara by Shantideva. This is the system with which I am most familiar.

Also, in Vajrayana we recite a short verse for taking the bodhisattva vows as preparation for any type of empowerment.

What is the procedure in the other traditions?

In order to ensure my mind never comes under the power of the self-cherishing attitude,I must obtain control over my own mind. Therefore, amongst all empowerments, the empowerment that gives me control over my mind is the best,and I have received the most profound empowerment with this teaching.-Atisha Dipamkarabrtsal ba'i bkhra drin

I took mine in the Chan tradition, which is also quite short. Kneel before my master, recite the Three Refuge, undertake the Five Precepts and invoke the Four Bodhisattva Vows ("how ever immeasureable.. I vow to...").

If you believe certain words, you believe their hidden arguments. When you believe something is right or wrong, true of false, you believe the assumptions in the words which express the arguments. Such assumptions are often full of holes, but remain most precious to the convinced.

At Dharma Drum Mountain it is a three and a half day affair. You get taught how to prostrate, salute and bow according to prescription. Everyone wears haiqing robes. There are video lectures by the late Master Sheng Yen as well as some speeches by monastics. You go through the motions of receiving the precepts until five-hundred people can manage synchronized bowing. Everyone is expected to memorize the liturgy.

The night before the precepts are given, there is a ceremony where the precepts as conferred unto the deceased and/or any other lingering non-corporeal beings hanging around the shrine hall. In the morning the precepts, which are a compilation from several East Asian sources, are conferred. The preceptor recites the liturgy and asks if you can uphold the individual precepts, to which you say yes. He then claps some wooden blocks together after each precept. Everyone is given a ceremonial sash (called the "bodhisattva cloth"), which goes around the neck. I don't believe there is any precedent for this in history. It was an innovation by DDM as far as I know. It looks like this:

The actual ceremony only takes a few hours, but for three days everyone is trained before rehearsing the ritual.

All the rehearsal might sound unnecessary, but for Chinese Buddhist it is all part of their spiritual transformation. The greater and grander the ritual, the more spiritual power it holds.

Elsewhere in Chinese Buddhism it is sometimes the case that bodhisattva precepts include incense scarring on the flesh. For laypeople I think it is usually done on the arm somewhere. Monastics of course take it on the scalp.

Actually I think it is nice that a demanding ritual is prescribed for the Bodhisattva vows. I imagine it gives people an appreciation of their preciousness and the rarity of receiving them.

In order to ensure my mind never comes under the power of the self-cherishing attitude,I must obtain control over my own mind. Therefore, amongst all empowerments, the empowerment that gives me control over my mind is the best,and I have received the most profound empowerment with this teaching.-Atisha Dipamkarabrtsal ba'i bkhra drin

Yeah I'm not so sure about that part LOL. I suppose it could be a meaningful statement of faith.

It could also be ego's game, though.I remember at CTTB one laywoman proudly pulled up her sleeve to reveal to me several rows of such marks. I barely knew her. It did bring a question mark to my mind!

In order to ensure my mind never comes under the power of the self-cherishing attitude,I must obtain control over my own mind. Therefore, amongst all empowerments, the empowerment that gives me control over my mind is the best,and I have received the most profound empowerment with this teaching.-Atisha Dipamkarabrtsal ba'i bkhra drin

JKhedrup wrote:Actually I think it is nice that a demanding ritual is prescribed for the Bodhisattva vows. I imagine it gives people an appreciation of their preciousness and the rarity of receiving them.

That's the idea behind such long rituals.

The source texts though generally sound a lot simpler, like the refuge and five precepts. In the early days you just stated it to the Buddha or a sangha member, and there you go, refuge and the five precepts in a few sentences.

JKhedrup wrote:I remember at CTTB one laywoman proudly pulled up her sleeve to reveal to me several rows of such marks. I barely knew her. It did bring a question mark to my mind!

Is the left arm a green dragon and the right arm a white tiger?? 左青龙右白虎

If you believe certain words, you believe their hidden arguments. When you believe something is right or wrong, true of false, you believe the assumptions in the words which express the arguments. Such assumptions are often full of holes, but remain most precious to the convinced.

In the American Korean Zen, Kwan Um, school, there is a ~20 minute ceremony. There is some chanting from everyone, a short dharma talk by the teacher, and you go before the teacher and publicly recite the vows. You receive a bowing robe and a kasa (rakusu), a Buddhist name and a little certificate. You also get a "precepts burn" where the teacher burns your arm with a couple sticks of incense, which is supposed to leave a small scar as a reminder of your vows.

One should not kill any living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor should one incite any other to kill. Do never injure any being, whether strong or weak, in this entire universe!

When I took the Bodhisattva vow, I was a bit frustrated not to understand the words as they were in Tibetan. I didn't really know what I was repeating and stumbled over the words since I don't know much Tibetan. It was a fairly casual ceremony as well, done by the current Kalu Rinpoche. In some ways, I don't feel like I really took the vow.